11-29 Apr 2005

NATO Response Force goes to sea Background NATO Response Force (NRF) Key links Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Northwood Exercise Loyal Mariner 2005 Exercise Website by Admiral Danish Fleet PI Office The maritime capabilities of the NATO Response Force (NRF) were tested in exercise Loyal Mariner 05, held in the North Sea from 11 to 29 April. Nineteen NATO countries participated in the exercise, with a total of 85 ships and submarines and 30 aircraft taking part. Putting NRF to the test The scenario was designed to test the capability of the Response Force to carry out missions in which naval forces play an important part. It included providing humanitarian assistance via the sea, imposing and maintaining an embargo, evacuation of non-combatants and support to counter-terrorist operations. The NATO Response Force is a first for NATO. It combines elite land, air and sea units into a single force that can be deployed anywhere in the world in five days and sustain itself for up to a month on a wide range of missions.